Happy 120th Birthday, Olympic National Forest!

From the stunning mountain tops overlooking dense forests to wild and scenic rivers, breathtaking waterfalls and endless amounts of adventure, Olympic National Forest has been captivating the region’s outdoor dreams for twelve decades. We hope you have another 120 years of helping preserve and protect this stunning landscape for all to enjoy and thank you for all you have done.

On his way out of office in 1897, President Grover Cleveland signed a small document that would forever change the course of outdoor recreation in the Pacific Northwest. As one of his last actions as President (he left office on March 4th, 1897) he created what was known as the Olympic Forest Reserve on February 22nd. Placing 2,188,800 acres, which was nearly two thirds of the Olympic Peninsula, under government control, the creation of the Olympic Forest Reserve was later renamed Olympic National Forest and was the forerunner of Mount Olympus National Monument in 1909, which became Olympic National Park in 1938. Because of this act, we now are still able to experience true wilderness and enjoy the rugged beauty of the Olympic Peninsula.

The action to create the Olympic Reserve wasn’t incredibly popular, as the protection of the land was viewed as an action that many around the country believed would “sabotage the system that made this county great.” Sound familiar? The action was made possible by the Act of 1891, which had been tweaked at the last minute by conservationists. The act allowed the President to “set apart and reserve … any part of the public lands wholly or in part covered with timber or undergrowth, whether of commercial value or not, as public reservations.” This bill was passed during the great push toward conservationalism, greatly inspired by naturalist John Muir. Muir helped spearhead the notion that lands needed to be protected in their natural state, highlighting the fact that the huge forests of the West were being logged and cleared faster than they grew.

Once the Olympic Forest Reserve was established, it quickly came under attack by the other side of the aisle. In 1900 and 1901, President William McKinley used his powers to reduce the size of the reserve by 3/4 of a million acres. The reduction in size was to help facilitate farming on the Peninsula, but the timber industry acted quickly and started logging the areas no longer protected. The conservationist movement wasn’t deterred by McKinley’s action, fighting for lasting protection in the forested river valleys of the Olympic Peninsula. Because of their hard work and dedication to fighting for land protection, Mount Olympus National Monument was created in 1909, later becoming Olympic National Park in 1938. The wilderness act of 1964 helped solidify the region’s protection, which is once again under attack by Congress. In 120 years, not much has changed.

This year, make sure you had out and enjoy the beauty of Olympic National Forest. From the amazing views atop Mount Ellinor and Colonel Bob Peak, the roaring waters of the many waterfalls in the region, to the tranquil sounds and scenes along the Hamma Hamma, Duckabush, Bogachiel, Olympic needs to be experienced, enjoyed and protected for future generations. Please support the Wild Olympics campaign, contact your elected officials and continue to fight to save these incredible Public Lands. We need to all unite and fight, just like the conservationists did over a century ago.